Serves: 6

 

• 4 eggs, separated (whites in small bowl and yolks in medium bowl)
• ½ cup sugar
• ¾ cup ground skinless almond*
• ¾ cup ground biscotti
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
  

To view this recipe in full, please visit: Lemon & Olives

Qatar Airways has launched new daily flights to and from Auckland, New Zealand. The first flight took place on February 6th, 2017 and was the world’s longest commercial flight, taking 17 hours and 30 minutes.

The new service will give passengers from New Zealand the opportunity to travel to the more than 150 destinations on the airline’s global network via its hub, Hamad International Airport, in Doha.

Other new destination launches planned by the airline for 2017/18 including Yanbu and Tabuk in Saudi Arabia; Dublin in the Republic of Ireland; Nice in France; Skopje, FYROM; Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand; Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia Herzegovina; Libreville, Gabon; Douala, Cameroon; Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Canberra, Australia; Medan, Indonesia; and Las Vegas, U.S.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Athens will spring to life on March 19 when thousands of amateur and professional runners test their mettle at the 6th Athens Half Marathon, co-organized annually by the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) and the City of Athens. Organizers are already expecting the numbers this year to break all records with registrations set to reach some 21,000.

Organized for the first time in 2012, organizers aim to turn the Athens Half Marathon into a global, unique sport cultural and entertaining running event and attract visitors from Europe and the rest of the world to participate and also experience Greece’s cuisine, sun, sea and the history and life of Athens.

All races start and finish in the heart of Athens, at Syntagma Square, in front of the Greek Parliament, running different courses in the historic city centre and passing by the main attractions. Runners can register online until March 3rd.

 

 

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Athens 2017 - The final countdown for the 1st international golf tournament Messinia Pro-Am taking place in Costa Navarino has already begun!

 

The Westin Resort Costa Navarino is ready to open again, welcoming the new tourism season and the top professional and amateur golfers globally!

Within the last months, the interest of the teams for the tournament peaked. 6 remaining places are now open before the final completion of all the teams!

Messinia Pro-Am 2017 is an occasion to highlight the hospitality element, for which Messinia is famous from the Homeric years! 30 teams, each consisting of one professional and three amateurs will compete on February 21-24, 2017 in the 1st Messinia Pro-Am for the first place! Among them many distinguished international professional athletes will play, such as the Dutch Ralph Miller (who recently won the PGA's of Europe Individual Championship), the Portuguese Hugo Santos (3 times champion of the PGA Professional Championship of Europe), the Italian Emanuele Canonica (Champion of European Tour, 2005), the British, Graham Fox (No. 2 in the ranking of the PGA in Scotland), and the famous Italian Lorenzo Gagli (featured in the top 150 of the Official World Golf Ranking), as well as top Greek Pros including Adam Kritikos, Eugene Papadopoulos and Panos Karantzias!

On Sunday, February 19, the teams will receive their participation bags and confirm their participation in the tournament’s registration office at House of Events, The Westin Resort Costa Navarino. On Monday, February 20 they will be able to have their first unofficial practice.

Tuesday, February 21 is the first official practice day of each team, with the opportunity for athletes to work out in the two award-winning Costa Navarino golf courses. The tournament kicks off on Wednesday, February 22 with the 1st round being held at The Dunes Course. The 2nd round will be held on Thursday, February 23 at The Bay Course. The third and final round of the game will take place on Friday, February 24 at The Dunes Course, while the award ceremony of the tournament will take place at the end of day. The Messinia Pro-Am 2017 detailed schedule is available here.

Messinia Pro-Am aims to promote golf tourism in Greece. The sponsors supporting this goal are the official airline partner AEGEAN, member of the global airline alliance, STAR ALLIANCE, the official sponsor, Loux, which is the largest Greek soft drinks and juices company and Vodafone, Poseidonia, MyTransfer and CU BOX that equally support the tournament as official sponsors.

The company J.VOURAKIS SONS EE, official supporter will craft the golfers’ prizes. METAXA, Kyvernitis Travel and ΤοmTom Sports are also official supporters.

The contribution of the tournament helpers is particularly significant, as their benefits ensure the smooth running of the event. The Helpers include Kalamata Papadimitriou, the brands Stolichnaya and Fever-Tree, Predaris with the Cu Wrap brand and Dimiourgies.

The 1st Messinia Pro Am is organized under the auspices of the PGAs of Europe, the PGA of Greece, the Hellenic Golf Federation and the Hellenic Olympic Academy.

Please click HERE for the Messinia Pro-Am website.

Known for its pleasant weather, Athens is a great city to go outside for a walk or run. Discover some of our favorite coastal routes to explore stunning waterfront locations by foot!

Faliro To Voula

The Flisvos Marina is located 8 km south of Athens, offers a beautiful seaside path. Head north to the Peace and Friendship Stadium, about 5 km, where you will find shops, cafes, restaurants, and an open-air cinema. If you head south, you will reach Glyfada and Voula. There is a path along the road for part of the route, and an off-road path in sections. The distance from Flisvos Marina to Glyfada and Voula is 9 km and 11.7 km, respectively. Along the way, you will pass by numerous beaches and beach clubs, while if you get off the path, you will be able to explore the local marinas and piers.

This route is one of the most pleasant on the coast of Athens; however, you will need to be cautious of the traffic and tram lines in a couple of sections. An added bonus is that you an run one way and take the tram back to Flisvos.

Terrain: Flat
Maps: Flisvos Marina to Peace & Friendship Stadium Route & Flisvos Marina to Voula Route

Piraeus, Zea Marina and Kastella

Located just 8km southwest of Athens, Piraeus is a popular day-trip destination and one of the world's largest passenger ports. There are a handful of excellent running routes in Piraeus, primarily located along the Saronic Gulf coast.

1.Piraeus Port

Take in the bustling energy of Europe's largest passenger port with this route around Piraeus's docks and ships; there are red painted pedestrian lanes along the whole port. A popular starting point is the port's western peninsula, near the "Hellas Liberty" Floating Museum.

If you head north along the water, you'll catch glimpses of the Eetionian Gate of the Piraeus Ancient Walls on your left. As you continue right and bend around the port; between Port Gates E8 and E9, you'll see Themistokleous Square and the Church of Saint Spyridon across the street. The path continues southwest to the Church of Saint Nicholas. Here, runners can turn around for another 7.5 km run back.

Terrain: Hilly
Map: Piraeus Port Route

2. Akti Themistokleous to Zea Marina

This scenic route follows a lamplit promenade along a stretch of rocky coastline. Near the Hellenic Maritime Museum, the path briefly bends inland, then follows along the waterfront of the Zea Marina. Pick up the waterfront trail at the corner of Akti Themistokleous and Alexandrou Zaimi street, and turn around at the Monument to the Pontic Greek Genocide for a 9 km out and back run.

Terrain: Hilly
Map: Akti Themistokleous to Zea Marina Route

3. Kastella

The neighborhood Kastella is perched high above the Athens basin and offers stunning views of the coast below and the Athens Acropolis above. This affluent part of Piraeus is famous for its neoclassical buildings and landmarks and the Church of Profitis Ilias. Runners will find this is a great area to see the sights and a killer hill workout. This route is a quick, hilly 2.5 km loop, starting near the Faros Marina.

Terrain: Very Hilly
Map: Kastella Route

---

This content has been sourced and prepared by Codico Lab

Made up of the Tinos, Syros and Andros runs, the ‘Cyclades Trail Cup’ — also known as the Cyclades Mountain Running Championship — is ready yet again with the support of the South Aegean Region, local associations, municipal authorities and media including the Greek Travel Pages (Grand Media Sponsor and tourism advisor to the event), to get down to business and prepare for an active year ahead with the aim to promote both wellness and travel and at the same time highlight the unique offerings of the Greek Cyclades via special routes and treks.

The organizers of the Cyclades Trail Cup once again are inviting athletes from all over the world to participate in the event.

2017 Schedule

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Please click HERE for more information about the Cyclades Trail Cup.

The first professional blogger network in Greece, Travel Bloggers Greece (TBG), traveled to Pelion to celebrate its two-year anniversary and blog about the region. Spyrou Philoxenia, a top hotel management company with headquarters in Athens, invited TBG members to experience the sights, nature and gastronomy of the up-and-coming destination.

The three-day itinerary included hiking in Tsagarada with Trekking Hellas to photograph the region’s mountain and sea views. A tour of several villages included Vyzitsa, Millies, Afissos, Zagora and Makrinitsa. The bloggers also experienced local gastronomy including at O Patis taverna in Zagora and a tsipouro tasting at Lepi in Volos. For a coffee with a view, the Greece based bloggers enjoyed the hospitality at Hotel Maistrali in Afissos. Members also gathered at Manthos Hotel in Chania to cut the organization’s vasilopita, a traditional New Year’s cake. The coin prize was a gift certificate sponsored by Manas Kouzina-Kouzina, a traditional Greek restaurant in Athens. To end the blogger trip, TBG sat down for a traditional dinner warmly hosted by the staff at the award-winning Kritsa restaurant in Portaria, a member of the Guest Inn Network.

“Our two-year anniversary was a great opportunity to promote beautiful Pelion, a special year-round destination in Greece,” said Elena Sergeeva, co-founder of TBG. “Our members look forward to blogging about their experiences in full, over the next month, on their individual travel blogs.”

“Spyrou Philoxenia showed us the best that Pelion has to offer so we can relay what we learned to our international followers,” said Marissa Tejada, co-founder of TBG. “TBG members love traveling in Greece and are seasoned in effectively sharing those travel experiences through quality digital content and through social media.”

The blogging trip included a stay at Aglaida Apartments in Tsagarada, where members also celebrated their two-year anniversary with a “Greek party” which included a traditional dinner prepared by the hotel.

“In this digital world, we understand the importance and impact travel blogging has on today’s traveler holiday decisions. As Greece destination experts, we knew that Pelion would be an ideal place for TBG to explore for their special anniversary weekend,” said John Grigoras, Deputy Manager, Sales and Marketing of Spyrou Philoxenia. “We look forward to the positive impact, excellent blog coverage and social media exposure the blogger trip will have on the region in coming weeks and in the long term.”

To sponsor the TBG blogger tour, Spyrou Philoxenia successfully managed collaborations between private business and regional tourism organization including Trekking Hellas, Les Hirondelles, the Hotel Owners Association of Magnesia and the Prefectural Units of Magnesia and Sporades Islands.

Established in 2015, TBG is the first professional travel blogger networking group in Greece. Members are Greeks and expats who live in Greece and abide by ethical and professional standards. A membership committee approves candidates based on specific professional criteria. TBG works with businesses in Greece and around the world to help promote authentic travel.

For more information, please visit: Travel Bloggers Greece

Hotel Management company, Spyrou Philoxenia organizes special tour packages through authentic experiences coupled with professional services and select accommodations at Spyrou Philoxenia Affiliate Member Hotels.

For more information, please visit: Spyrou Philoxenia

Just a few hours away from Athens, Greece offers some of the best ski resorts for both adults and children. Ski runs range in all levels of difficulty while giving its guests the opportunity to enjoy mesmerizing views of Greece! Here are our top 3 ski resorts close to Athens.

Parnassos Ski Resort


@parnassos.gr

This resort is probably Greece’s most popular ski center because it is very easy to access, located only about two hours from Athens. It is also close to the popular ancient archaeological site of Delphi. There you will find 17 lifts, 13 main modern lifts and 4 baby lifts, 23 slopes, and 7 ski trails with a total length of 34 km.

The Kalavrita Ski Center is located in the Peloponnese, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Athens, and is the second-largest ski resort in Greece sporting 13 diverse ski tracks for you to enjoy, with a total length of 25 km. If you are a beginner, you should consider trying out the newly-added and longest run "Harmony", a very scenic ski route through the pine forest of Helmos.

This ski resort is one of the oldest in the country and is located on Mount Velouchi, 10 km from Karpenisi, the capital of Evritania, and around 4 hours away from Athens. It boasts a total of 6 ski lifts with 18 different slopes of varying difficulty to check out.

 

If you’re in the neighborhood of Kolonaki, you may want to try Philippou, a restaurant known for its delicious home cooked meals. Culinary Backstreets takes us on a tour and offers great suggestions on the food and drinks to try!

Founded in 1923 by Kostas Philippou, it began as a humble taverna with earthen floors and big barrels filled with home-made wine. In 1968 the building where the taverna stood was converted, like thousands of others in the 60s, into a modern block of flats, and the taverna reopened on the ground floor in the same spot it occupies today, a few steps below street level.

Still run by the same family, Kostas Philippou, the grandson of the original owner, and his Greek-Australian wife, Patricia, are now in charge. They are chic and soft-spoken, with the big friendly smiles of good hosts, and soon we understand why: most of their clientele are regulars, who either eat here or have their food to go every day.

'We try to keep things light and easy on the stomach, so we don’t use many spices or a lot of oil in our cooking,' Kostas Philippou said.

To read this article in full, please visit: Culinary Backstreets

This documentary short film, ‘4.1 Miles’ by Daphne Matziaraki, was nominated for a 2017 Academy Award! The film is about a coast guard captain on a small Greek island who is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea.

 

‘When I returned home to Greece last fall to make a film about the refugee crisis, I discovered a situation I had never imagined possible. The turquoise sea that surrounds the beautiful Greek island of Lesbos, just 4.1 miles from the Turkish coast, is these days a deadly gantlet, choked with terrified adults and small children on flimsy, dangerous boats. I had never seen people escaping war before, and neither had the island’s residents. I couldn’t believe there was no support for these families to safely escape whatever conflict had caused them to flee. The scene was haunting.’

To read this article in full, please visit: The New York Times